a rift

eduardo-:

eduardo-:

Bioluminescence in the Gippsland Lakes

Noctiluca scintillans doing what it does best in the Gippsland Lakes, a small chain of inland lakes in Victoria, Australia.

The events that transpired to make this happen are quite miraculous; firstly there was widespread fires in Victoria that burned pretty intensely for quite some time. Then, they were followed by intense flooding that inundated many areas of Gippsland amongst others. The basic effect was that floodwaters carried nutrient-rich soil and ash from the higher reaches into the Gippsland basin, leading to a eutrophic condition in which algae and bacteria can thrive.

This gave rise to a particularly prolific cyanobacteria getting a foothold, Synechococcus. Essentiallysmothering the lake in cellular life, it gave an opportunity for some pretty special creatures to breed prolifically given an abundant food source - Noctiluca scintillans, a bioluminescent Dinoflagellate.

And so, you end up with photographs like this. A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, captured for all to share.

Photo source: http://philhart.com/content/bioluminescence-gippsland-lakes

(via moreanimalia)

actegratuit:

The Blue Pond in Hokkaido Changes Colors Depending on the Weather

“The Most Beautiful Pond In The World!”

According to the photographer Ken Shiraishi, who made a pilgrimage up to Northern Japan last month to take these shots, the water contains a high degree of aluminum hydroxide, which reflects blue light – a phenomenon responsible for our lovely blue skies. Shiraishi spent several days up there photographing the pond in various light.

via

(via moreanimalia)